Wesleyan's Thirteenth President

Colin Campbell

1970-1988
B.A., LL.B., J.D. (1935-)

"Every challenge is an opportunity."

The youngest president in
Wesleyan's history, Colin Campbell took office at the age of 35. He
was
born on November 3, 1935 in New York City and was raised in
Connecticut.
An alumnus of Cornell, he received a law degree from Columbia
University
and worked at the American Stock Exchange prior to coming to Wesleyan
as
executive vice president and administrative vice president in order to
fulfill his lifelong interest in a career in serving the public good.

Campbell's first priority was to bring
financial stability to the university. He developed the Plan of
Action,
whose primary aim was to reduce the amount drawn from the endowment
while retaining the strength of the academic program.

Once Wesleyan had regained financial
stability, Campbell began what he described as the second phase of his
presidency: he worked to get Wesleyan's message out to students,
alumni,
and prospective students. Reorganizing the Alumni Association, and
leading Wesleyan's first major comprehensive fundraising drive, The
Campaign for Liberal Learning, Campbell raised $63.7 million in five
years, part of which was used for major renovations on campus,
construction of the Olin Library addition, and the new physical
education facility. The Center for the Arts opened during his first
year
in office.

When he felt that Wesleyan was "in a
position of financial strength...better supported and better
understood by
its external audiences," he turned his attention to enhancing the
academic program. New courses and departments such as Earth and
Environmental Sciences and Women's Studies were added, and new
resource
centers were established, including African American Studies, the East
Asian Studies Center, and the Cinema Archives.

During his term the number
of students went from 1,400 to 2,600 and the first class of freshman
women since coeducation ended in the early 20th century was
admitted.

Active in the Middletown
community, Campbell was known for his skill in bringing different
groups
together and for his ability to strategize effectively. He left
Wesleyan
on July 31, 1988, to join the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a nonprofit
charitable organization. He is currently the chairman, president, and
chief executive officer of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.